Andor introduced audiences to more rebels who had a big part in their eventual victory over the Empire, though there’s much audiences still don’t know about them – and that includes a possible connection to Padmé Amidala. Padmé Amidala was the former Queen of Naboo, who later became the Senator for her planet before the Clone Wars broke out. Padmé was widely popular with her people and well-regarded in the Senate. She, of course, was married to Jedi Anakin Skywalker in secret and died shortly after giving birth to twins – Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa.
Padmé’s popularity on Naboo was so extreme that the planet considered changing their laws so she could serve another term as queen, though she declined. Because of her position within the Senate, Padmé also had trusted handmaidens and guards whom she relied on for her safety. Many of these individuals are seen in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace and Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, where Padmé often impersonates one of these handmaidens for her own protection. Even after Padmé’s death, many members of her court were still loyal to her and her ideals. Now, it seems Star Wars is going to be returning to Naboo, and thus exploring more of Padmé’s legacy posthumously.
Andor Cast & Character Guide
The cast of Andor, Star Wars’ latest Disney+ series, is filled with faces both familiar and new. Here are all the characters & their actors explained.
Andor Season 2 Is Presumably Taking Audiences To Naboo
Before the Hollywood strikes shut down production on Andor season 2, the show was seen filming at Hever Castle in England, a location used for exterior shots of Naboo in The Phantom Menace. This indicates that season 2 of Cassian Andor’s origin story will take audiences to Naboo. It’s not yet known if it is Cassian Andor or another character who is visiting Naboo, but it could perhaps be characters like Mon Mothma or Bail Organa. Because only the exterior of Naboo was shot on location, nothing major likely happened at the Hever Castle filming location, which is also indicated by how little time was spent there.
Visually connecting Andor to Naboo is a good idea, as Cassian Andor already has strong ties to the original Star Wars trilogy, as he was one of the people who died getting Leia Organa the plans for the Death Star during Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. It would help to further connect the prequel and original trilogy eras of Star Wars together. Additionally, many of the items seen in Luthen Rael’s shop on Coruscant in Andor season 1 were Naboo artifacts, some of which even looked like they were headpieces worn by Padmé Amidala. This means Andor may already have a secret connection to Naboo.
Luthen & Kleya May Be Part Of The Amidalans
There’s little known about Luthen Rael and Kleya Marki’s origin and what planet they come from. However, based on the number of artifacts from Naboo in Luthen’s shop, they may be from the same planet as Padmé Amidala. After Padmé’s death, a group of Padmé loyalists blamed the Empire, specifically Darth Vader, for the Senator’s death and sought revenge. This group of rebels called themselves the Amidalans and was mostly made up of former guards and handmaidens of Padmé. Darth Vader would wipe out the Amidalans between the events of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, so the group is still very active during the events of Andor.
It’s been rumored that Kleya may be the true name of one of Padmé’s former handmaidens Rabé, as Padmé had all handmaidens change their name while on her detail. Rabé was known for having underground connections and being a forger, which would also make her a fantastic spy and rebel. If Andor season 2 is returning to Naboo, it’s possible that it will be Kleya or Luthen returning to their home world, where they will meet up with other members of the Amidalans to plan their next attack against Darth Vader.
The Amidalans Could Suffer The Same Fate As Saw Gerrera
It’s worth noting that the Amidalans had ulterior motives when it came to their rebel activities. Their overall goal was to take down the Empire and Darth Vader because they believe they caused Padmé’s death. This could lead them down a path that the rest of the Rebel Alliance doesn’t agree with. As seen in Andor and Rogue One, Saw Gerrera and his rebel cell were originally part of the larger alliance, but because of his extremist nature, they cut ties with him. The same could happen to the Amidalans, where they become so focused on their goal of killing Vader that they put the rest of the rebels at risk.
This could explain why Luthen and Kleya were absent from the original trilogy, as well as Rogue One. Cassian Andor will likely become one of Luthen’s most trusted rebels, so it’s odd that he didn’t appear in Rogue One. Mon Mothma could’ve cut ties with her rebel friend if she thought their mission of avenging Padmé Amidala put the overall safety and goals of the Rebel Alliance in jeopardy. Either way, it’s exciting to see Star Wars return to Naboo, and audiences should be excited about what the next season of Andor has in store.
Andor
- Release Date
- September 21, 2022
- Cast
- Genevieve O’Reilly , Adria Arjona , Diego Luna , Kyle Soller , Alan Tudyk , Stellan Skarsgård , Denise Gough , Forrest Whittaker
- Genres
- Adventure , Drama , Action , Sci-Fi
- Rating
- TV-14
- Seasons
- 1
- Season List
- Andor – Season 1
- Characters By
- George Lucas
- Filming Locations
- United Kingdom
- Main Characters
- Cassian Andor, Mon Mother, Luthen Rael, Bix Caleen, Dedra Meero, Syril, Maarva, Saw Gerrera
- Producer
- Kate Hazell, Kathleen Kennedy, David Meanti, Stephen Schiff
- Writers
- Tony Gilroy , Dan Gilroy , Beau Willimon , Stephen Schiff
- Number of Episodes
- 12
- Streaming Service(s)
- Disney Plus
- Franchise(s)
- Star Wars
- Showrunner
- Tony Gilroy
